Trump Escalates War and Rhetoric From Afghanistan to North Korea

FEATURING MEDEA BENJAMIN – The Trump Administration has dropped a 22,000 lb bomb on Afghanistan saying it was aimed at underground tunnels being used by Islamic State militants. News media are reporting that the so-called “Mother Of All Bombs” killed 36 people, apparently none of them civilians. During his presidential campaign in November 2015, Trump made an aggressive declaration about bombing ISIS.

The bombing comes just days after the US attacked Syrian government targets for the first time. Both Afghanistan and Syria are sites of active US military engagements, with Afghanistan in particular still hosting 8,500 US ground troops and earning the distinction of being the longest official war against another country that that US has waged.

Meanwhile the US has also continued its wars in Iraq and the Saudi-led war in Yemen. Now, the Trump administration has East Asian leaders panicked after warning that it could launch a pre-emptive strike against North Korea if the regime continues it nuclear testing. Trump has talked out of both sides of his mouth, claiming to be both an isolationist and a war hawk.

Medea Benjamin, Co-founder of human rights group Global Exchange and the peace organization CODEPINK. She is a long-time political activist who has also written a number of books including Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of the Unjust, Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control and more.